#are oranged still called oranges but instead of the color connection we have it's their equivalent of 'apple' (round-shaped fruit thing)?

[jack-the-fool]

It occurs to me that in the ISAt universe, they would quite possibly describe the ocean as 'wine dark' as a matter of course

#the fact that colors canonically don't exist makes me go crazy sometimes #even more so when I think about how they USED to #isat #in stars and time #and the fact that they used to is a relatively recent discovery which makes my social sciences brain go burrr #how many color idioms survived the desaturating? #how much ancient poetry describing the sunset feels unreadable to a modern lense? #are oranged still called oranges but instead of the color connection we have it's their equivalent of 'apple' (round-shaped fruit thing)? #the implacATIONS #jack.txt

[soy-sauce-and-mothra]

Hey! Are there blacksmiths in your story? I'm a hobbyist blacksmith and I'm here to help!

Blacksmithing is one of those things that a lot of people get wrong because they don't realize it stuck around past the advent of the assembly line. Here's a list of some common misconceptions I see and what to do instead!

Not all blacksmiths are gigantic terrifying muscly guys with beards and deep voices. I am 5'8, skinny as a twig, have the muscle mass of wet bread, and exist on Tumblr. Anybody who is strong enough to pick up a hammer and understands fire safety can be a blacksmith.

You can make more than just swords with blacksmithing. Though swords are undeniably practical, they're not the only things that can be made. I've made candle holders, wall hooks, kebab skewers, fire pokers, and more. Look up things other people have made, it's really amazing what can be done.

"Red-hot" is actually not that hot by blacksmith terms. when heated up, the metal goes from black, to red, to orange, to yellow, to white. (for temperature reference, I got a second degree burn from picking up a piece of metal on black heat) The ideal color to work with the metal is yellow. White is not ideal at all, because the metal starts sparking and gets all weird and lumpy when it cools. (At no point in this process does the metal get even close to melting. It gets soft enough to work with, but I have never once seen metal become a liquid.)

Blacksmithing takes fucking forever. Not even taking into account starting the forge, selecting and preparing metal, etc. etc. it takes me around an hour to make one (1) fancy skewer. The metals blacksmiths work with heat up and cool down incredibly fast. When the forge is going good, it only takes like 20 seconds to get your metal hot enough to work with, but it takes about the same time for it to cool down, sometimes even less.

As long as you are careful, it is actually stupidly easy to not get hurt while blacksmithing. When I picked up this hobby I was like "okay, cool! I'm gonna make stuff, and I'm gonna end up in the hospital at some point!" Thus far, the latter has yet to occur. I've been doing this for nearly a year. I have earned myself a new scar from the aforementioned second degree burn, and one singe mark on my jeans. I don't even wear gloves half the time. Literally just eye protection, common sense, and fast reflexes and you'll probably be fine. (Accidents still happen of course, but I have found adequate safety weirdly easy to achieve with this hobby)

A forge is not a fire. The forge is the thing blacksmiths put their metal in to heat it up. It starts as a small fire, usually with newspaper or something else that's relatively small and burns easily, which we then put in the forge itself, which is sort of a fireplace-esque thing (there's a lot of different types of forge, look into it and try to figure out what sort of forge would make the most sense for the context you're writing about) and we cover it with coal, which then catches fire and heats up. The forge gets really hot, and sometimes really bright. Sometimes when I stare at the forge for too long it's like staring into the sun. The forge is also not a waterfall of lava, Steven Universe. It doesn't work like that, Steven Universe.

Welding and blacksmithing are not the same thing. They often go hand-in-hand, but you cannot connected two pieces of metal with traditional blacksmithing alone. There is something called forge welding, where you heat your metal, sprinkle borax (or the in-universe equivalent) on it to prevent the metal from oxidizing/being non-weldable, and hammer the pieces together very quickly. Forge welding also sends sparks flying everywhere, and if you're working in a small space with other blacksmiths, you usually want to announce that you're welding before you do, so that everyone in a five-foot radius can get out of that five-foot radius. You also cannot just stuck some random pebbles into the forge and get a decent piece of metal that you can actually make something with, Steven Universe. It doesn't work like that, Steven Universe.

Anvils are really fucking heavy. Nothing else to add here.

Making jewelry is not a blacksmithing thing unless you want jewelry made of steel. And it will be very ugly if you try. Blacksmithing wasn't invented to make small things.

If there's anything here I didn't mention, just ask and I'll do my best to answer.

#yes some of this was directed at steven universe #the only thing su got right was bismuth crying when her anvil broke #cus those things are goddamn expensive and hard to transport #blacksmith #blacksmithing #writing #writing prompts #writing advice #writeblr #writer #writer problems #writerblr #writerscommunity #writers on tumblr #writers and poets #writers

[onesidedradiostatic]

(After the Respectless Reprise)

Velvette, calling Vox on the phone: VOX!!! End this stypid debate once and for all! What was the color of your turtleneck when you took that damned picture with Valentino?

Vox, picking up the call: Uh... What now?

Velvette: Some of your crazy "fans" cropped that stupid picture I took of you two near his desk with your monitors! They've been going crazy at the color of your stupid turtleneck in the leaked photo

Vox: Right right.... and..... This is my problem because....?

Velvette, muttering under her breath: I swear to god... this is just like that stupid dress thing all over again.....

Vox: The what now?

Velvette: Forget it! Your old arse wouldn't even get it anyway and we don't have the time! That stupid thing blew out of proportion!!! It's been trending on Vitter for Hell's sake so you better do something about it!

Vox: Vel, I don't see the problem. It's just a color for something that happened a long time ago. It shouldn't even matter.

Velvette: Well it does matter because demons—not even just sinners, Vox— have been going at each other's throats about this for hours on end just for the sake of their fanart consistency!

Vox: Fanart consistency?

Velvette: Oh for fuck's sakes, Vox— Aren't you connected to your network right now? You should be able to see just how bad it is in there!!

Vox: Mhm... yeah, yeah... well..... right...

Velvette: Vox. Are you listening to me right now?

Vox: *noncommittal hum* Yeah..... That's better...

*Velvette pauses for a moment before a look of realization crosses her face*

Velvette: Wait... Don't tell me your at your Alastor shrine again instead of at your office?

*Clatter clatter CRASHHH*

Vox: *cough cough cough* H-Huh? What? NOOOOooo... No, no I'm not. What are you talking about Velvette?

*Velvette side glances at Alastor still silently having his mental breakdown before moving onto Lucifer fiddling with his tie and cane as he refuses to meet anyone in the eyes*

Velvette: Yeaaah.... Right.

Vox: A-ActUALLY!! I was just about to go there. To— to my office I mean. I mean, I just came from an important meeting after all!! Yes, a very very important meeting. With uh.... About– Sinflix! Yes, yes Sinflix. You know how that annoying little parasite has been taking some of our profits with all their 'free services' shtick that we've been losing money in the other Rings.

Velvette: Right. Right. (I don't care)So... your turtleneck color?

Vox: RIGHT!!! *Ding ding ding!* Yeah, about that I uh....

*Side glances at the scarce remains of his closet that was once full of multiple variations of turtlenecks colored red, orange, yellow, and even blue. Some of them actually being striped. There was a sell in one of the secondhand-me-down shops if you buy in bulk back in the day when he first fell into Hell. And he wasn't one to pass up a bang for your buck. Unfortunately, he also had to burn a lot of them after Velvette joined team to avoid her wrath. And now he can't remember which one he wore during that picture*

Vox: Well... About that, I don't.... actually remember?

Velvette: You don't sound so sure of yourself.

Vox: Well, the picture itself is faded so some of the color has changed. Not to mention the lightning.

Let me ask Tino if he remembers.

(I hope you enjoy this. Someone please sedate me)

oh my fucking god (reference to this, and this, and the turtleneck discourse is just this entire fucking tag. basically we've been spending the last 2 days debating about vox's stupid fucking turtleneck)

literally everything being referenced is giving me fucking whiplash HELSPGKOS vox himself getting into the debate because he doesn't remember is hilarious

only thing I will have to correct there is that vox does in fact own netflix in hell so it's voxflix not sinflix

considering maintagging this and putting it out into the wild with zero context (until they check the links)

EDIT:

misunderstood whoops here's the clarification LMAO

#ask #osrs.txt #hazbin velvette #hazbin hotel velvette #velvette #hazbin vox #hazbin hotel vox #vox #radiostatic #staticradio #onewaybroadcast #vox's stupid fucking turtleneck #respectless anons #lucifer's commissions saga #am I really tagging 3 of these in a single fucking post holy shit

[scarredwithcruelintentions]

chapter 3: a desperate revelation

Find the masterlist here!

CW: Astarion talks about his abuse.

W/C: 2,795

A/N: My dog had heart surgery last week... please send all the good vibes for her recovery!

After the arduous fight with the Hag, Astarion wanted nothing more than to crawl into his bedroll. Shadowheart had mended the worst of their wounds with a healing prayer, and your quiet songs of rest had bolstered their energy for the trek back to camp. Once out of the bog, the fading rays of the sun’s light were visible once more.

He paused a moment to marvel at the way they painted the sky in various hues of pinks and oranges, a sight he had long since given up hope of ever seeing again. He tried to convince himself that any day spent in the sun was a day worth having, no matter how fleeting a retreat it might be. 

A plaintive sigh escaped him at the prospect of returning to the shadows after being blessed by the warmth of the light.

“Copper for your thoughts?” you intoned from behind him, startling him out of his quiet reverie.

“For nearly two centuries, I’ve known nothing but darkness and pain. To stand in the sun, after so much tragedy and despair, is nothing short of a miracle,” he whispered, afraid that if he spoke any louder, it would shatter the beautiful illusion he’d come to know and he’d instead find himself a psychotic wreck, locked in a mausoleum somewhere at Cazador’s behest again.

He tracked your approach in his peripheral vision, mentally preparing himself to broach the topic of his past, of his Master’s cruelty. You stopped at his side and gazed out into the encroaching darkness with him, listening along as the song of birds gave way to the chirp of crickets. The stars began their winking, and the ambiance of rural night crept over them in a subdued melody.

“Without darkness, there would be no light,” you said quietly. 

He peered over at you, watching as the moon started its trek across the indigo sky just above your head. You glanced at him, and your eyes met his for a moment. He did not expect the sorrow that he found in their depths. He opened his mouth, but no sound left his lips, the icy fingers of fear choking him. He closed his eyes and steadied himself, preparing to spill his darkest secrets upon reopening them.

“Come, friend,” your hushed voice met his ears. “We are not far from camp. We may speak there.”

With that, the moment was broken. Astarion opened his eyes to see your retreating form, and silently thanked whatever gods still were for the extra time to gather his strength. ______________________________________________________________

Astarion sat alone in his tent, lost in his thoughts. He could hear the chatter and laughter of his companions just beyond its thin walls, but he didn’t even have the heart to observe from afar tonight. He waited in trepidation for you to come find him, drumming his fingers absentmindedly on the closed cover of the book in his lap. Even reading had proven to be an unhelpful distraction.

“Astarion?” 

He recognized the lilt of your soft voice and cleared his throat.

“In here, darling,” he called, unwilling to move, lest his legs were to carry him far from this conversation, far from camp in cowardice.

You parted the flaps of his tent with a small smile, a question in your eyes. He waved at the space in front of him, a silent go ahead to enter and sit. You nodded imperceptibly and sat down, crossing your legs and setting your lyre in your lap.

Astarion raised a brow at the instrument.

“Do you ever go anywhere without that?” he asked, curiosity coloring his voice.

“Never,” you grinned. “It’s the source of my connection to the Weave.”

He scoffed, “A lyre?”

“Well, not the lyre specifically,” you blushed, “but the music it creates. Any instrument will do, but this is my instrument of choice.”

“I see,” he said, though he really didn’t.

“Would you like me to give you an example?” you asked kindly.

“Please, be my guest.”

He watched as your delicate fingers plucked a soft melody on the instrument, caressing the tune from them with practiced ease and fondness. The mellifluous sound of your voice began its harmony, and a sense of peace like he had never known washed over him. He was enchanted by your performance, finding it a strangely intimate experience with no one else to accompany the two of you.

All too soon, the final chord resonated in the cavern of his chest with a quiet hum.

Astarion opened his eyes - not remembering having closed them - and gazed at you. The warm feeling from earlier had returned at the start of the song, and had slowly spread its way through his limbs with each progression until he felt light and fuzzy, an unusual and somewhat dizzying sensation. A slight flush had spread across your cheeks and into the bodice of your nightclothes as he regarded you with a soft expression.

“That was lovely,” he murmured, loath to break the tranquil quiet of the moment.

“A Song of Calm for my tense, toothsome friend,” you smiled, voice lowered to match his own.

“Ah! Well that explains the sudden silence in my mind.” 

He cracked a wry smile and delighted in your answering giggle. Stillness enveloped the tent once more, and your expression morphed into one of concerned sincerity.

Here we go.

“Are you ready to talk?”

“I don’t want to say a damned thing,” he bit out, rage and fear laced in his voice. You recoiled at his tone, and it took conscious effort for him to soften it. “But that won’t do anyone any good.”

You remained silent, waiting patiently for him to continue. He heaved a great, mournful sigh, and began.

“Cazador Szarr is a vampire lord in Baldur’s Gate. The patriarch of his coven and a monster obsessed with power. Not political power or military power - I mean power over people,” he said with carefully construed apathy, “The power to control them completely. He turned me nearly two hundred years ago. I became his spawn and he became my tormentor.”

His eyes had fallen to the space separating him from you, avoiding the questions he knew he was sure to find in yours.

“How were you turned?” you asked in a whisper. “Did he attack you?”

Astarion sighed again.

“Not him, no. A gang of thugs, the Gur,” he sneered, “attacked me, angry about a ruling that I’d handed down as a magistrate.”

“I see. Is that why you were on edge with the hunter today?”

“Indeed. They’d beaten me to death’s door when Cazador appeared. He chased them off and offered to save me. To give me eternal life. Given that my choices were ‘eternal life’ or ‘bleed to death on the street’, I took him up on the offer.” 

He repressed a violent shudder at the memory and ploughed ahead, “It was only afterward that I realized just how long ‘eternity’ could be.”

“I take it he was rather lacking as a master,” you intoned gravely.

“He had me go out into Baldur’s Gate and fetch him the most beautiful souls I could find by whatever means necessary. It was a fun little ritual of his - I’d bring them back and he’d ask me if I wanted to dine with him. And if I said yes, he’d serve me a dead, putrid rat.”

He could still taste it even now, the fetid blood of overripe rodent corpses. He wanted to gag and retch at the thought.

“Of course, if I said no, he’d have me flayed. Hard to say which was worse,” he shrugged matter-of-factly.

“Astarion, that’s terrible. I’m so bloody sorry,” you sniffled.

He looked up at the sound to see the glistening tracks of tears running down your face in the glow of the oil lamp, more yet unshed making your eyes glassy. He didn’t know what he expected your reaction to be, but it certainly wasn’t this.

“Thank you, but this isn’t about the sympathy,” he continued uncomfortably, “it’s about knowing what we might be up against. The Gur hunter won’t be the only one looking for me, what with his favorite plaything being misplaced.”

“Plaything?” you nearly choked.

“Yes, he always did say that my screams sounded sweetest,” he intoned bitterly.

He did not raise his eyes at the sound of your sharp gasp, fearful of what your face would betray.

“Vampire spawn are less than slaves - we’re puppets. All he need do is speak and our bodies obey. The things I’ve done, seen… felt. Well, there are some things better left unsaid,” he finished, voice hollow.

He looked up again to find tears streaming freely down your cheeks, eyes puffy and nose running with your sorrow, the whimpers and sniffles of your sobs echoing in the silence. He was unsure of how to console you, so he simply looked away, giving you time to gather yourself.

“Fuck, m’sorry,” you garbled, and he looked back to see you dashing tears from your eyes. “How insensitive of me. You don’t need my tears to make this wretched retelling any worse.”

“It’s quite alright, dear. It isn’t called a sob story for nothing, after all,” he chuckled, trying for levity to lift the stifling gloom of the atmosphere. His attempt wrested a watery giggle from you, so he considered it a success.

Once your sniffling had died down, a comfortable silence settled over the tent. He had gone back to staring at the empty space of his bedroll between you and him, and a new plan slowly began to unfurl in his mind. You seemed to like him well enough, but was well enough going to keep him safe in the dire straits ahead?

He was broken from his musing by the gentle strings of your lyre, a different melody this time but with a similar effect. The dulcet tones of your harmony flooded him with that strange, tingly warmth again, and he made up his mind in that moment. You were an unalienable ally with your charisma and quiet authority, and he needed to do whatever necessary to stay in your good graces.

Resolute in his decision, he listened intently to your music, laying back on his hands and closing his eyes to bask in the beauty of it. Your songs transitioned smoothly from one into the next, and he soon found himself drifting into his nightly meditation with unprecedented ease. He didn’t even register when the music had stopped, only noticing when your hushed voice temporarily disrupted the blissfully quiet calm of his mind.

“Goodnight, Astarion.” ______________________________________________________________

He rose early the next morning and was pleased to find you already awake. You were breaking your fast with some sludgy gruel the wizard was stirring while Wyll regaled you with animated tales of his heroics. He rolled his eyes at the warlock’s prideful display, but noticed you listening intently, gasping and asking questions at all the perfect intervals. The warlock regarded you with a smile far too fond for his liking, and he found himself calling out to you before he was even sure of what he was going to say.

“Darling, a moment, if you please?”

You gave Wyll a sheepish grin and excused yourself, setting the bowl of lumpy porridge on your stool and sauntering over to him. Astarion snickered to himself at the way the warlock’s face twisted.

“Good morning, Astarion,” you said brightly, smile more radiant than the morning sun.

“Good morning, my sweet. How did you sleep?” he asked, laying the charm on thick.

“Alright, I s’pose. You?”

“Vampires don’t sleep, dear, though I’ll say that last night was the closest I’ve come to it in two centuries,” he replied, trying for his most disarming smile.

“I’m glad to hear it,” you responded softly. “If you’d like to dine with me tonight, I’d be happy to lend my neck.”

Astarion could swear he felt his undead heart give a flutter of a beat before going dormant again.

“Why, there’s nothing I’d love more darling! But, are you sure you’re feeling up to it so soon after the first time?” he asked, his portrayal of concern surprisingly effortless.

He watched as you pulled a pendant out of your decolletage, holding it up so that it glinted in the light. He could feel the faint thrum of the Weave surrounding it.

“I went hunting through my things last night when I remembered I had this. It’s an amulet of restoration. Shadowheart confirmed for me that it will counteract the effects of blood loss,” you beamed.

“My, my. Eager little thing, aren’t you?”

Apparently, that was the wrong thing to say, as you noticeably retreated into yourself.

“I only wanted to help,” you mumbled, eyes downcast.

In a desperate attempt to salvage the conversation, Astarion shifted the subject back to the amulet.

“And wherever did you find such a pretty bauble?”

Your answering grimace and accompanying flush was an unexpected reaction.

Oh, this must be good.

“I nicked it from the druid grove,” you said sheepishly.

“Aren’t you full of surprises, my dear,” he responded with a hearty laugh.

“Shut it, Rogue,” you grumbled at him good-naturedly.

“Never! And in answer to your earlier question, I would be more than delighted to dine with you.” He bowed dramatically, earning him a few bright peals of laughter.

“Your tent, or mine?” he purred. He made a show of watching the way your flush deepened and crept its way down into the plunging neckline of your nightclothes.

“Erm, I’d assume you’d be most comfortable in your tent,” you responded, wringing your hands with eyes downcast once more.

Well, that won’t do.

He reached forward slowly so as not to spook you and tucked a finger under your chin, gently raising your face so he could catch your eyes.

“I can make myself comfortable anywhere for you, dear,” he breathed, watching closely as your lips parted in a silent gasp and pupils dilated infinitesimally wider.

Just as he was about to celebrate this small victory, your eyes cinched shut and a pained expression flitted across your face. He dropped his hand instantly, taken aback by the dramatic shift in your reaction.

“S’not you,” you gritted out, confusing him further. You opened your eyes and took a steadying breath.

“Just a bad memory,” you clarified, standing tall in a display of faux confidence.

It was a tactic he knew all too well, and he could see right through it to the rigid way you held yourself. He felt his face fall with a doleful kind of understanding.

She, too, has endured much torment.

“Ah yes, those I am quite familiar with. We all have skeletons in the closet. An unfortunate side effect of living…” he paused, “and unliving, I suppose.”

You chuckled, easing up again.

“I’m taking Lae’zel, Wyll and Gale with me today to look for the missing druid. We’ll let you know what we find,” you changed the subject, meeting his gaze.

He felt a pang of disappointment with the chill of fear quick on its heels and fought to keep his face neutral, but was ultimately unsuccessful. You caught a glimpse of something, however fleeting, in his eyes that turned your countenance steely.

“He won’t have you, Astarion. You don’t need to go back to him,” you said, suddenly vehement in your determination. It only increased his panic.

“You don’t know Cazador,” he relented in a whisper, “He could have spies anywhere. I could be gone long before you make it back. If he finds me, I will have no choice but to return.”

“He won’t find you. You’re safe with me,” you murmured back, reaching out to take his hands. It was an odd sensation, being held, made odder still by your initiation of the contact.

“Then take me with you,” he begged, just shy of desperate.

He could feel your thumbs sweeping over the backs of his hands, no doubt a placating gesture to ease the burn of your next words.

“Not today. You need to rest after yesterday’s events.”

“How rich, coming from you,” he snapped, withdrawing his hands from your grasp abruptly.

He caught the hurt that flashed across your delicate features before you managed to school your expression, straightening your spine and squaring your shoulders.

He sighed in defeat, “I suppose I will see you tonight, then.”

“Tonight,” you nodded and turned to leave.

You took a few steps away from him and paused, turning halfway back toward him.

“And I mean it, Astarion. You are safe with me. I will watch your back, so long as you watch mine.”

With nothing but your parting words for reassurance, Astarion returned to his tent, succumbing to the biting cold of dread’s barbed claws.

#bg3 #astarion x tav #astarion x reader #astarion x you #astarion #shadowheart #wyll ravengard #astarion pov #unnamed tav #no use of y/n #reader insert #afab tav #bard tav #trauma #angst #astarion needs a hug #but so does tav #soft astarion #past abuse #past torture #emotional hurt/comfort #emotional manipulation #fluff #slow burn #au canon divergence

[heliza24]

Oh, I Iove your thoughts and the overall approach to the analysis of the intimate (and not so) scenes. I would like to read your take on Simon/Marcus scene. Everyone avoids it like a plague or just blames the actors for the lack of chemistry, but I’m sure we were meant to feel the uneasiness between them. What would you say? No pressure though, if it’s not something you want to discuss.

Hi anon! I'm so glad you like my analysis and I'm really happy that you requested that I look at this scene! Rewatching their almost hookup was a bit of a challenge (the second hand embarrassment! it's so much!) but it's a really interesting case study. I think you're absolutely right; this scene is meant to make us feel uneasy. Let's take a look and try to figure out how it accomplishes that.

The first thing I noticed about the scene was the music. This scene doesn't have original scoring or a needle drop. Instead it has diagetic sound. The only thing we hear is the tinny, distant sound of music playing out of Marcus's speakers, and we can't even distinguish what song is playing. I think this is really significant because of how crucial the music is in creating a sense of magic in every other intimate scene. When Simon and Wilhelm are together, I would describe the music as shimmery, bright, and warm. It wraps them up and transports them into their own special world together. But with Marcus, we are firmly grounded in the real world, where things can be awkward or embarrassing or uncomfortable.

The second thing I noticed was the way the scene is edited. Most of the time when two characters are having a conversation, the editing will go: shot (on character A as they speak), reverse shot (on character B as they speak). But sometimes in this scene, the camera lingers on Simon even as Marcus starts to speak. There are a lot of close ups of Simon's face; the camera examines him a lot more closely than it does Marcus. I think it's pretty clear that Simon is the POV character in this scene. We're supposed to feel tuned in to his feelings of discomfort and embarrassment. Omar does a great job of conveying this and the camera gives us time to take it in. This is also in contrast to Wilmon scenes, where the camera pays equal attention to both characters, emphasizing their connection.

Marcus's little apartment is warmly lit, but there are no shafts of light or lens flares like in some of the Wilmon scenes. And while some of the close up shots of Simon have a golden tint to them, the shots of Marcus are more cool colored. They're disconnected, not in the same intimate space together.

I haven't talked a ton about costuming in my previous posts, but I think it's worth thinking about here. In the scene immediately preceding this one, Simon puts on the orange sweater he stole from Wilhelm. When he catches a glimpse of himself in the mirror, he immediately feels sad and annoyed to see himself immersed in this visual reminder of Wilhelm, and takes the sweater off and texts Marcus as a response. But when he goes over to Marcus's place, he's changed into his orange sweatshirt. He's still wearing Wilhelm's color, even as he tries to engage with Marcus.

Simon calls Marcus's place "cozy", in what I think is a deliberate call back to Wilhelm saying the same thing about Simon's room in season 1. I think this makes sense from a character perspective; hearing his space called cozy made Simon feel good, so he's mirroring that back to Marcus in an attempt to make Marcus feel good. But it also reminds the viewer of that season 1 scene, and helps us notice the contrasts.

The last thing I noticed, and the thing that makes me most uncomfortable about this scene, is the way that the blocking (shout out Sara Arrhusius and their great work) puts Marcus in control. In some ways this feels like a further emphasis on how much of an adult Marcus is in this scene. Marcus is so mature that he has his own place, a rarity for a high school student (even if it is just in the backyard of his family's house), and Simon is totally on his turf. Marcus is dictating the pace of their relationship, without input from Simon. And he's also placing Simon in a subservient physical position, by pushing him away, holding the back of his neck, and putting his arm around him on the couch. There's nothing wrong with those gestures in and of themselves, and for some couples those motions would communicate care or be a part of a positive sexual dynamic. But so much of Simon's character revolves around his outspokenness, his fearlessness. His scenes with Wilhelm are filled with physical give and take. They read as equals. But Marcus's body language here feels like he's trying to silence Simon, and assert himself as the dominant partner in the relationship. Simon is so embarrassed at his advances being rebuffed that he goes along with this without protest, but I think you can tell that it makes him uncomfortable. And it creates the beginning of a pattern where Marcus sets himself up as the more mature partner who has to educate Simon which continues throughout the season.

(This is more of a personal headcanon thing, but I know a lot of fic writers interpret Wilhelm as the more dominant one, or the one who initiates more in the relationship with Simon. But I have the opposite read of their dynamic/roles. Simon's discomfort in this scene is one of my reasons for that. Not to be too self promo-y, but if you agree and need a palate cleanser after thinking about this scene I might suggest the end of chapter 23 of Heart and Homeland for no particular reason 😉)

I hope that makes it clear that this scene was absolutely supposed to create maximum discomfort and second hand embarrassment. The blocking and technical elements all reinforce this. Omar and Tommy were doing their jobs well, and the lack of chemistry isn't a flaw, it's a feature.

Thanks again for asking anon! I love writing these. If anyone else has a scene they want me to examine, my ask box is always open! 💜

#young royals #my meta #simon eriksson #marcus young royals #cinematic analysis #ask box

[snowe-zolynn-rogers]

The Eclipses Show

Pairings: None

Word Count: 1,972 Words

Summary: Meetings and new names. Backup has to explain to Original what has happened since he went offline.

Warnings: Death (mentioned), Abuse (vaguely implied), Cursing, Abuse (mentioned), Controlled Shocks (mentioned), let me know if I should add anything else.

Chapter 3: I’m Still Standing

“Uh…” Original looked between the two. Both looked like him, which wasn’t anything different, really with daycare models. But they were also mainly orange, he could see it. Even though the one in black didn’t have rays. The other was orange and black purely.

Eclipse and this other Eclipse in black had mismatched parts with different colors. But that orange eye. Those were Eclipses. How? What? What had happened? How were there three of him?

“Let me guess. You’re Eclipse?” The fully orange and black one asked.

“Uh…yeah? Can someone please tell me where I am? Why is there three of me? What happened to Sun and Moon being here and Lunar? The tall girl with white like cloud-hair?” He asked.

“What the...” The rays retracted with thought on the one who was speaking to him.

“Oh my god.” The other realized faster. “You’re the original. The one before me.” The monochromed Eclipse told the orange one.

“Wait, he’s the original?”

“He has to be. He doesn’t know who Earth is. He doesn’t know what dimensional travel is. Moon made the portal after he died. He wouldn’t know about it.”

“That would make sense, actually.”

“I’m still here, you know. You can tell me whatever it is that I’m missing.” Eclipse huffed.

“I’m your backup. I activated in Blood Moon after Sun kicked you out because you ‘died’. You were the original. This is Solar, the Eclipse of this dimension that we’re in. Or…Solar is what he’s letting me call him because honestly three Eclipses is confusing.”

“Oh.” Eclipse sighed. He was in a different dimension from what he could gather and this other one was a backup of his that had activated after Sun expelled the Original.

“Whatever you three parasites do, just figure out names because I don’t wanna deal with this.” The Moon huffed, going back up to the balcony on his fly wire.

“Please don’t pay attention to Crescent, he’s actually a lot calmer today than normal.” Solar assured the both of them.

“I-Should we figure out names?” The backup asked.

“I mean, it wouldn’t be right for one of us to keep the name since it’s all three of our names. So maybe coming up with something different for ourselves would be better?” Original came closer, plucking balls off his rays and wincing at the damage to most of them that he had overlooked since the rays weren’t a vital component of his body.

“Well then, I’m keeping Solar. I like it.” Solar smiled, gesturing them to sit. This would probably be a while if the two had similar tracks of mind unlike Solar who had had a different life than them.

“I kinda like Asteroid but I really don’t like how the nickname is Ass.” Backup huffed.

“True.” Both thought for a bit, quieter as they tried to think.

“What about Phase and Umbra?” Solar suggested.

“What?” Both asked.

“Phase and Umbra. It would be something individual for you two. Nothing connected, being separate people instead of seen as one.” Solar explained.

“I really like that. I like Phase.” Backup agreed.

“I like Umbra.” Original smiled.

“Then we’ve agreed. We’re Solar, Phase, and Umbra.” Solar leaned back in his chair.

“Okay but what has changed since I just kinda-“ Umbra made a slitting throat motion. “I mean, I lost almost a year.” He sighed.

“All in all, you missed a lot of shit.” Solar told him.

“I was probably the majority of the shit.” Phase told him.

“Okay. Maybe start when I died?” Umbra asked.

“Well, after that, I activated on the thirteenth of November inside of Blood Moon. So they were living in the streets, killing people and all that, causing a bit of chaos for the daycare during November. November I think is when Moon made the dimension portal too but I don’t know exactly when. But it was early after your death and early into my activation.”

“Yeah, about there.” Solar confirmed.

“Yeah. And I was making a plan I was having the twins help me with. I…I admit now it was an awful idea, honestly. But I got Sun angry enough to break Moon’s computer because I wanted his kill code to take over. And it did. It was awful for them. It took over Moon and from what I understand, Monty went in to get Lunar out but wasn’t able to get Moon.”

“Then the fuckin shock of a century, the Kill Code gained sentience, claimed himself me and the twins’ father. So I went with the absolutely horrible idea of letting Kill Code free because the twins are trigger happy with controlled shocks.” Phase huffed.

“Jesus, how many shocks?” Umbra asked.

“It had to be like seven a day minimum. It was awful. My memory was scattered for a long time and simple tasks while being in control was difficult to do between aftershocks and them fighting for control.” Phase admitted.

“Jesus, I’m shocked you didn’t lose memories.” Solar realized it had indeed been a difficult time for Phase.

“I did. I know I did. I can feel the voids in my memory banks. I know things are missing, chunks of time from late-November to about mid-December are blanks, I honestly can’t remember anything from then.” Phase took a breath.

“Anyway. After KC took us three in as his kids, Moon made a deal with KC that they wouldn’t meddle in each other’s lives while they shared a body. And Lunar got a body from Monty. It was cute and tiny. He was precious. He had a tail and everything like a little cat.” Phase fondly smiled at the thought of Lunar.

“And KC put me into a computer. He literally grounded me.” Umbra couldn’t help but to snort a laugh at that. “Hey! Don’t laugh at me! I was confused. He didn’t want to give me a body because he knew I’d just leave, so he put my AI in a room. I was freaking room!” Phase whined.

“I’m sorry, that’s funny as hell.” Umbra cackled at the thought before calming down and taking a few breaths.

“He was a good dad. Sure he was a little manipulative and all but he was learning. He was taking care of the three of us. It was…I actually really liked having a dad. It was like he couldn’t just abandon me, he made me, I was his child. And I liked having that kind of person where they would care about me without just blaming me for everything.”

“Then…Then Blood Moon died.” Phase gave a shuddering breath. “Sun shot them with a laser, they died and Dad was inconsolable. And Sun went on a murderous rampage afterward. He wanted to hunt me down and kill me next and then KC. He wanted to erase us once and for all. Without even thinking about how it felt for us.” Phase’s eyes pricked with tears.

“I know they hurt me but they were my brothers still. Sure they were violent and a little unhinged but they weren’t monsters, they had limits and morals. They weren’t just monsters just because they were made to be killers. They had a family and people who cared about them. I cared about them. Dad cared about them. It hurt, it still does. I always thought they’d come running into the lab and tell me it was just a prank, that they wanted to see how we’d react. But they never did.”

“I didn’t make the best decision but…I wanted to defend myself. I knew Sun was coming for me. I just knew it. So I took over a robot I made with a vessel capability called Solar Flare. And Sun did. He tried to kill me. He ended up stabbing a magic sword through a computer modem because I convinced him I was in it. And I tried to get him away, I had him at sword point. And then he used magic to blow up the base.”

“I…I admit I went a bit off the rails after. I just left while he was getting magic help from Golden Freddy. The bunker had had Moon’s magic pooled under it and the explosion had just destroyed it. Moon was stuck in his head and I was still grieving my brothers and father. Because Moon was trying to get rid of KC while all this was happening.”

“Please don’t kill me for what I’m about to say, I know we both love him.” Phase looked to Umbra.

“I’m not going to kill you.” Umbra agreed.

“I used Lunar as a pawn to get the star. And, once I had it, I killed him anyway. I murdered him with it. At the same time, Moon erased his memory to separate from KC. And…And I just felt too numb to care. They gave KC a body eventually, I know they did. And Monty managed to remake Lunar”

“Most of the in-between is a blur. Almost all of it, actually. The star corrupted a lot of my memory banks and erased them when it got destroyed yesterday. I knew I was dying with that star in me. That it was hurting me. The last thing I remember before waking up again was that I was just trying to help them. I don’t remember with what and I don’t remember why.” Phase finished.

“That is…a lot.” Umbra sighed. “We have a dad. The Kill Code is our father?” Umbra asked.

“We did. Before we got the star. I think he might have just given up on me. I don’t think he really knew how to handle me once I was just numb. I don’t think he really cared once I was dangerous, I think he just…gave up. Because he knew I wouldn’t be saved or just talked to and he knew they wouldn’t and he couldn’t convince them to.” Phase sighed, wiping his eyes.

“So we had a father but he doesn’t want us anymore.” Umbra realized with a bit of sadness that he had a father but his father would likely want nothing to do with him. It was a bit crushing to say the least. KC sounded like he’d been as good of a father as a learning AI could be, though likely preferential to the twins, which how couldn’t he be with how similar the twins were to him?

“But he loved you.” Umbra wanted to confirm.

“He preferred the twins, but he was loving. He was kinder than others with me. He was strict, but he respected my boundaries and he didn’t try to force me to do things I wasn’t comfortable with. He didn’t ignore me even when he could. He was a lot better than others.” Phase confirmed.

“I wish I’d been there.” Umbra squeezed Phase’s hand and realized he’d been holding it the entire explanation. He wasn’t sure if it had been to comfort himself or to comfort Phase, but Phase squeezed his hand back anyway.

“I wish you had been. Having a dad was…good. It really helped. I had been really scattered with my memory at the time and he helped. Him being there helped. He had a habit when he was checking on me. I could faintly feel things when I was a lab. People touching certain things. It felt like someone holding me. Even, every time he checked on me, he’d pat the tube my AI was mainly in. It felt like he was patting me on the head.” Phase gave a little smile.

“I’m sorry for your loss, Phase. I didn’t realize how affected you were when Blood Moon died. I’m sorry I laughed at you when we first met.” Solar apologized.

“It’s okay. I don’t remember it. You have nothing to apologize for because I don’t remember that.” Phase assured Solar.

#sun and moon show #sams #five nights at freddy's #fnaf #the eclipses show au #fnaf solar #fnaf good eclipse #fnaf eclipse #fnaf phase #fnaf umbra #snoweywrites #tw death mention #tw abuse mention #tw cursing

[lou-struck]

Being Human isn't so Baaaaad

Beelzebub x reader

~ Mc is the cutest little sheep the Devildom has ever seen, but after a spell gone wrong, they are turned into something horrible…a human.

This prompt is a part of my Comfort Milestone Event which you can find here. I'll be finished with entries by the new year.

*Reposting bc tags can be stupid.

No one was expecting Lord Diavolo to select a little pink sheep to be the exchange student from the human world. But the moment they laid eyes on the adorable cotton candy-colored ball of fluff they understood the decision. You are the cutest thing they have ever seen and bring out the best in the demons around you. Especially the Brothers.

They adore you, whether your fluffy pink wool is getting styled by Asmodeus, or are perched on Satan’s lap in the library you are always in their presence. Every brother has special ways of connecting with you except one, Beelzebub the Avatar of Gluttony.

Being a sheep, your diet consists of different varieties of hay and leafy vegetables. These are foods that Beel doesn't really enjoy munching on, he’d rather go to Hell’s Kitchen for a Burger. But you just can't eat the same things he can. And it really bums him out.

He tells you about the delicious things that he has tried in hopes of giving you a partial experience but at the end of the day, you are a sheep and just cannot stomach the food that he loves.

~

Shattered glass surrounds you as a charcoal-gray mist arises from the shards. The scent of spring water invades your senses making your little legs shake beneath you. Before you lose consciousness you look at the shield where the artifact stood before you knocked it over. Sometimes you're just a bit too fluffy for your own good.

~

“Mc?”... a deep voice calls from the darkness. “Mc, wake up?”

Creaking open your eyes you meet the warm and worried orbs of Beelzebub. his massive form towers over where you are laying.

“Beel? What happened?” you ask bringing your fingers to your face.

Wait… Fingers? 

Your eyes widen as you look down and see that Instead of your usual two hooves, you have 10 fingers. No wool in sight.

Okie It’s not just your hands, when you peek at your reflection in the dark window across from you, you see that you are no longer a sheep at all. Whatever you knocked over has turned you into a human.

"H-how did this happen?" you cry shakily getting up on your two legs and stumbling towards the Muscular chest of the Avatar of Gluttony. he responds in turn and comforts you in his embrace, gently letting the pads of his fingers trace your new skin.

"I don't know." he says stroking your hair "But at least you are unharmed. When Lucifer gets back from the castle he can help you."

"But that could take hours," you mumble, although your feel distressed at your current predicament you are enjoying the feeling of being held in Beel's arms. 

“Hmm, you're right,” he says with a pout. “We should do something to pass the time. Something you can’t do as a sheep?” With a little shuffle, you find yourself being readjusted in his arms.

“Like what?” you ask as he carries you away from the lab.

“Just trust me,” he smiles. “I have an idea.” With a nod, he walks you through the House on Lamination.

Stealing another glimpse of yourself in a passing mirror, you look at yourself. You look unrecognizable, if you weren't seeing your reflection with your own two eyes you wouldn’t believe that you are now human.

"Hey Beel?" you ask glancing up at the mass of orange hair.

"Yes MC?" he hums in response.

"How did you know it was me," you ask. "I look completely different now."

“You still smell the same,” he says matter-of-factly. "Demons have a better sense of smell than most other creatures."

"I-I smell?" you ask self consciously craning your neck downwards to catch a whiff of yourself.

"Not badly or anything, you just smell like you," he says comforting you. A bit of pink dusts his cheeks as he clears his throat, “And you still look cute.”

For being a creature without a wool coat, your skin really does generate a lot of heat when he says things like that. “Thank you,” you mumble as the two of you continue down the hallway.

"Here we are," Beel says proudly, letting you down at a seat at the kitchen counter.

"The Kitchen?" you ask looking at the plethora of takeout boxes from Hell's Kitchen on the countertop.

"Yes, I ordered myself some dinner earlier and thought that you would want to join me." He smiles opening the lid of the first box. Normally the smell of Devildom food would set you off, but in this form, it smells amazing.

"A-are you sure I can eat this?" you ask nervously. 

“I think so, you’re a human now after all.”

“But I’m a sh-” you cut yourself off. At least for now, you are a human. A human with a human stomach. meaning you can eat food that humans can. "Okay," you exhale with a smile. "I'll try something."

"That's wonderful," Beel says with a smile. He scans the open boxes trying to figure out what you should try first. You track his Violet gaze until it lands on a box in the back. He flicks open the lid and takes out a pastry. Its sweet smell wafts over to you and you have to do what you can to hide your drool.

You reach your hands out to take it from him. Gingerly you tear it open a bit. It's so warm and fluffy that you are surprised steam isn't escaping the doughy pillow. Raising it to your lips you take a small bite.

It's delicious…

Completely unlike anything you have ever tried before. The memories of munching on grass and hay now seem bitter and cold as you take another bite of the treat.

The look on your face is enough to tell Beel that he did a good job. The satisfaction grabs ahold of his hunger. He too, begins to munch on the snacks.

“If you like that,” he says between bites, “Just wait until you try all the other things I brought.”

“Okay,” you cheer, licking a crumb off of one of your fingers. Even if it is only for a short while, you decide that being a human isn't so baaaad after all. Especially if you get to enjoy these experiences. 

Perhaps you can stay in this form for a while longer to see what else you can try.

#obey me x mc #beelzebub #beelzebub x reader #beel #beel x mc #beel x reader #beelzebub x mc #beelzebub fluff #obey me #fluff #obey me fluff #obey me shall we date

[quaritching]

Some Avatar 3 thoughts and predictions!!

The new Na’vi

I absolutely adore the concept of fire Na’vi, however I’m truly hoping and praying that they don’t stick with the name “Ash people”. I mean, we don’t call the Metkayina the “Water people” so I really don’t see the point. It just sounds lame

Considering the Metkayina differed in color because of their environment, I believe the fire Na’vi will as well! We have no real reference as to what their environment really looks like, but I imagine they’d be a darker or purplish blue (red and blue = purple, wink wink), or maybe just a dull, greyish blue! I think purplish blue would look cooler and make more sense aesthetically, but since they’re dubbed the “Ash people” it does make me think they’ll be a greyish blue

I also think their eyes would be a slightly reddish shade of orange! Perhaps their tails would lack the tuft of hair on the tip and they’d sport short hair styles or tie their hair up and away so they don’t catch fire

James Cameron mentioned that instead of only seeing the “bad side” of the humans and the “good side” of the Na’vi, we’d actually see the “bad side” of the Na’vi as well! I don’t think this is an original thought, but I believe the fire Na’vi are supposed to be the “bad side”, that in this movie we’ll get more Na’vi vs Na’vi action instead of the Na’vi vs Human action that we’ve seen in the two previous movies

The Sullys and the Metkayina

I read somewhere that even with the introduction of a new Na’vi type, we’ll still see plenty of the new characters that were introduced in ATWOW! Safe to say we’ll still see the sully kids and the main Metkayina people that were introduced to us. I hope we get to see them a little more grown up! Especially little Tuk!

As we all know, Spider saved Quaritch at the very end and did not tell anyone about it. While he did not actually kill Neteyam (that was Lyle), Quaritch takes the blame in their eyes for even hunting Jake and endangering his family to begin with. Neytiri and Lo’ak are definitely going to be angry, I’m not so sure if Kiri and Jake are gonna try to defend him but the betrayal is gonna hit them all hard for sure. It’s gonna be hard on Lo’ak especially since he was the one who went back to save Spider and dragged Neteyam with him, and then he later gets shot when they all try to flee. Out of all of them Kiri would be the one most likely to come to his defense, but who knows! Very very interesting I think!

While I don’t truly see this happening, if they were to bring Neteyam back I would hope it’d be as a Tulkun. Since Na’vi are “born twice” and energy is taken and returned (he was returned to the sea specifically), I could see it happening, but I honestly hope he just stays dead. If he were to be revived his death would feel meaningless. Sorry Neteyam stans but you know it’s true lol

I think it’s pretty obvious that Grace’s pregnancy was a gift from Eywa, and that Kiri has no real father. Like I said before, energy is taken and returned. Grace did not take energy from Eywa, but she gave her energy, herself, to Eywa when she died during the transfer ceremony. I think Eywa was returning the energy and that created Kiri! I’m very excited for Kiri to explore more of her connection to Eywa and Pandora in the next movie as well

Colonel Miles Quaritch

The real question is, How does Quaritch fit into all this since we know that he’s alive at the end of the movie? Here are some of the ideas I’ve had:

He does not go back to the RDA immediately, and instead finds himself struggling to survive in the wilderness of Pandora OR he goes back to the RDA and because of his massive failure, they throw him out and he has to learn how to survive on Pandora. I don’t think the second option is really possible though, I think the RDA would just kill him rather than let him go if it ever were to come down to that considering how dangerous he is to them, especially if he were to pull a Jake Sully

Whether or not he goes through the 1st scenario, he stumbles upon the fire Na’vi and finds a way to bring that force with him to fight Jake Sully and whoever he has backing him up. Full on Na’vi vs Na’vi, one side led by Jake and the other led by Quaritch. Raw as hell.

Redemption arc baby!! (This is gonna be a big one so hang on tight)

As we’ve seen in ATWOW, Recom Quaritch is not the same as his human counterpart. Recom Quaritch is basically a Na’vi shell with the inserted memories and personality of the human Colonel, and it is stated multiple times that Quaritch is not him ( e.g. “I’m not that man, but I do have his memories” and “[Spider’s] not your son” ).

Besides the literal difference, there’s many small things that Recom Quaritch does in this movie that I believe human Quaritch never would’ve done or bothered with. Quaritch shows an interest in being more Na’vi in order to better understand the enemy, like learning the language for example. This is not necessary, spider is more than capable of translating anything for them so Quaritch never truly had to learn Na’vi, but he tried regardless.

When the recom squad gets to the village to question the people about Jake Sully’s whereabouts, he listens to Spider’s plea and does not shoot the Tsahik, or anyone for that matter. The old Quaritch absolutely would’ve shot her, but Recom Quaritch orders their homes to be burned instead. He still has a mission to fulfill and he still needs to leave a message. Yes, it’s still a horrible thing to do but it’s objectively better than murder, they can rebuild their home but they cannot bring the dead back to life. It’s a subtle difference but I think it’s a really important one considering how Quaritch was more than happy to kill the Na’vi and destroy Hometree in the first movie (he basically enjoyed it if we’re being honest).

This could be argued, but he looked uncomfortable imo when they began to hunt the Tulkun. Recom Quaritch is very open with his emotions in this movie, it’s very obvious when he feels triumphant (like bonding with his Ikran) or when he feels conflicted/upset/frightened (Seeing his skull, watching cam footage of his death, and seeing Neytiri’s arrows). During the hunt, you can very clearly see Scoresby enjoying every minute, a stark contrast to how uninterested/uncomfortable Quaritch seemed to be. He even asks Scoresby if the Tulkun ever fight back, purely out of curiosity I think, but I also think that maybe a small part of him hoped that they would fight back. He has his own Ikran, he bonds with it through tsaheylu and knows how it feels, and I’d like to believe that’s started to change the way he sees the wildlife on Pandora, tulkun included. They hunt the tulkun basically as a last resort anyway, it’s not like Quaritch wanted to hunt them in the first place, it’s just something that he believes has to be done in order to lure out Jake since interrogating the villages was not working.

Another notable thing is that he sacrifices his last bit of leverage (Kiri) the moment he thinks Spider may die. He cares about Spider so much that he’s willing to be at a disadvantage in completing his revenge mission, a mission that is the whole reason for his current existence. He’s also at a physical disadvantage the moment he lets Kiri go because then he has nothing stopping both Jake AND Neytiri from attacking him. Quaritch also seemed upset/annoyed with the interrogation Spider went through and very quickly shut down the machine, claiming he wanted to try a different approach. It’s very hard for me to believe human Quaritch would’ve made these same decisions, he really only cared about saving humanity. Recom Quaritch cares about Spider, he cares about being a good father to him.

Something else that I noticed that I believe could be argued as well is that Quaritch never actually wanted to kill the kids, and to him they were simply a way to get to Jake. He puts a gun to Lo’ak’s head and tells Jake he’ll let his son go if he comes forward, and if he doesn’t he’ll kill Lo’ak. Whether or not he kills Lo’ak is irrelevant, even if he shot him Jake would’ve still went after him for killing his son. But Quaritch doesn’t do that, he waits for Jake to stroll on up. Payakan interrupts that as we know, so everything goes to shit and the fighting begins. Later when Tsireya tries to free Tuk, Quaritch simply throws her in the water instead of actually causing any harm or killing her. Again, when he later uses the comm he threatens the lives of Kiri and Tuk, telling Jake the deal is still on and he’ll let his daughters go if he offers himself up. Why not just kill them? There’s no reason to keep them alive, the only difference is Jake offering himself up semi peacefully or Jake coming at him with the intent to kill. Either way he would’ve had Jake coming to him, and human Quaritch doesn’t really seem like the type of person to just let “prisoners” go. Again this could definitely be argued, this is probably my least solid point towards his redemption lol

I definitely believe there’s a lot of potential for there to be a redemption arc of some sort with him, I don’t think he’ll be some saint or anything but he could definitely be a more neutral or anti-hero type of character. Stephen Lang even said that Quaritch is going to go more Na’vi or something in the next movie so this kindaaa makes me think the redemption arc is the most viable. Unless that means he’ll team up with the fire Na’vi? I suppose we’ll just have to see 👀

The RDA

Because it’s been heavily hinted that the fire Na’vi are going to be the main threat instead of the humans, that raises the question of what exactly are the RDA going to do now? How are they relevant?

I believe they’re simply going to lie low during the 3rd movie, trying to recuperate and rebuild after the heavy losses they took. They lost a lot of people, basically all the recoms (Minus Quaritch and possibly Lyle and Mansk since their deaths were not seen on screen), and the whole SeaDragon ship with all of its materials and deployables at the bottom of the sea

They’ll probably be back for the 4th movie, since we know how persistent they are and how desperate they are to colonize Pandora to save the rest of humanity. General Ardmore didn’t get a lot of time to shine in ATWOW, but if the RDA returns in the 4th movie I imagine she’ll have a bigger role and could possibly be the main antagonist like Quaritch was in the first movie

#avatar #avatar twow #avatar 3 #na’vi #jake sully #neytiri #neyetam #lo’ak #kiri #tukitrey #omatikaya #metkayina #spider socorro #miles quaritch #avatar predictions #my post #idk I just wanted to share my thoughts #imagine if I actually predicted something 💀

[sang8262]

JP rambles: default outfit and character design edition

cause i asked about his character design and now I'M thinking about it, also im procrastinating so i have thoughts here goes

mostly about his default outfit, with a tiny bit about outfit 2 at the end. I already know this is going to be a needlessly long post lmao

TL;DR - JP is inspired by playing cards, bartitsu, and vampires/bats. he's a poker faced gentleman through n through

~~also minor spoiler warning for World Tour things, such as having JP as a Master and getting to max level skills/ bond with him~~

This is a safe space and I will be HONEST: I didn't like his default look a lot at first, but I've since warmed up to it!! I still use his outfit 2 (color 10) online tho. I speed ran World Tour for that, I have suffered, and I WILL enjoy it.

Anyway, it was once I realized he has thematic ties to playing cards that really made his default design make sense to me. First, some proof that he takes inspiration from playing cards to begin with.

Once you get Master Skill level in World Tour mode, everyone gets a little cutscene movie featuring their skills, archetypes/ titles, and ends with a quote commemorating your achievements as their student.

JP's starts off like this, with a bunch of playing cards with his name on them falling down the screen:

(also, btw, where we get more of that bat imagery, but i'll get back to that later)

This is what made it click for me and made it really obvious why his name is stylized the way it is, using the font it uses. His name reads the same way right side up as it is upside down, and looks very much like how the values are printed on these cards.

Then, the video includes several 'titles' for each character. Some of these get used in other promotional material too, but JP's are as follows:

King of No Country

High-Rolling Pretender

Gentlemanly Tyrant

In which, again, the poker/ gambling references show up with the phrase "high-rolling", or "king" of no country.

And final proof, is that each Master in World Tour can be given gifts that they will react to in unique ways, and also receive extra bond points for. Sometimes they're things the character likes, or really hates: it's just what gets an interesting reaction out of them.

JP (unfortunately) only has one such gift item he has special dialogue for: antique playing cards.

Although his reaction to them are... less than positive (he literally calls them 'trash'), he also points out how old cards can't be used to play actual games, as it is against the rules.

Within the game's universe, it shows that he cares, or at least knows enough about cards to even have these notable responses to them. Considering it outside the game, the devs specifically decided to make his special World Tour gift a set of Antique Playing Cards, instead of any other item. They wanted to make this connection between him and cards for a reason.

So to me, I think this is a lot of evidence that shows a clear and intentional relationship between JP's character design and playing cards.

In retrospect, I honestly think he does look like the face cards quite a bit lmao. The white hair and beard + mustache, the cravat, the colors too (really strong orange/ red, paired with gold and that bit of marble on his cane), and the cane paralleling a scepter/ sword.

Speaking of, more about the cane: the devs had an interview answering fan questions, and at one point they explain the inspiration for JP. I'll link the video here with the timestamp for this question:

https://youtu.be/ORw3_BK7o70?t=146

But basically they say they wanted to have a character use a cane, and cites bartitsu/ Sherlock Holmes as well. So, even if they worked backwards from 'cane', all the way to 'gentlemanly tyrant who likes chess puzzles and launders money through fighting game tournaments', I think they made it work well with the playing cards aesthetic too!

Finally, I'll go back to the bat imagery that I think is pretty interesting.

Parts of his design subtly incorporate bats, such as his brooch on the default costume:

And more directly in his alt costume 2, seen on his buttons and coat pattern:

And I have to imagine the brooch on his default outfit is somewhat invoking of a bat (with wings and large ears) because of his WT skill Mastery video having a giant BAT in the middle of the screen. I also thought it might be in reference to the Shadaloo organization symbol, which is a skull with wings.

Then even further from the comics, Kalima-- his assistant while organizing the fighting tournament in Nayshall-- warns Luke that JP is like a "vampire who will suck this country dry". The vampire analogy just works so beautifully with how he works as a criminal, not to mention the other aesthetic associations with it.

All in all, I really REALLY love JP's personality and whole modus operandi as a character and villain so greatly in his design. I definitely also feel that his outfit 2 isn't nearly as symbolism laden as his default one, but I am a sucker for formal wear and suits, so I am just, in love. Plus the subtler nods to his bat/vampire-ness is there, if only very minimally.

Edit: noticing this as I literally posted this AH. But also on the playing cards from his WT skill video, it has two different faces, it has both the Jack (or possibly King...) and the Joker:

It continues to add to his duality/ hidden true nature/ deceiver type character so much, it's perfect. And of course, with his name, or pseudonyms starting with "J". So either Jack or Joker works perfectly. I mean literally, he isn't the king of any country... but he'll still bring it to ruin all the same.

Edit #2: omg i keep remembering things i meant to add thank you adhd very cool

BUT, in the original Japanese version of the Mastery skill video, his titles are SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT. As is the Korean translation, which is a more direct translation of the Japanese one than the English is.

'So "King of No Country" was originally also: "No-Life King of a Ruined Country"

And turns out, doing some good ol' googling, that 'no-life king' has some established meanings to it:

Basically, it's related to other media including vampires, undead, monsters, so I'm guessing 'no-life' is closer in meaning to 'immortal', having no natural lifespan rather.

So yeah, even more references to vampirism for ya

but aNYWAY,, Thanks for reading my silly observations!!

I think I got pretty much everything but if there's anything I didn't mention or something to add please please do, I love reading replies and the tags (this site's so much better for this kinda stuff lmao)

#jp rambles #sf6 jp #jp refs #i wont apologize for analyzing my favorite characters so much and i wont apologize that it's a long rant i totally wont #but sorry it's so long #and i have to keep adding edits cause i forget so easily aaaaa

[jinxthequeergirl]

It wasn't all bad

Previously steve Harrington x reader Eddie Munson x reader

Summary: 🚩S4 spoilers🚩you where able to connect to the upsidedown through Visons but after some incidents at starcourt mall it left you sightless because of this you are left babysitting

Warning: poor writing cause this is the first thing im writing in months otherwise nothing...I think.

So This was meant to be part of a bigger Steve x reader turned Eddie x readef series i was planning but idk how well it'll do so i give you this small tidbit and if it does well who know i may write the whole series

~~~~~~~

It wasn't all bad.

You told yourself that constantly now.

You learned to live with it.

With the horrible truth that because of a gift you didn't want or ask for you where punished.

You still dreamt of that horrible moment. Trapped your own head with that thing as it took your vison.

It wasn't all bad. It was offten times beautiful.

You couldn't quite see people but instead figures and outlines of colors that made up the person in front of you. If they where close enough and you could almost make out a face.

Other times if you focused hard enough you could still go back to that black void and clearly see the scene infront of you. After Starcourt though that was to draining anymore.

It wasn't all bad.

You still had people who loved you and helped you.

You still had steve.

Though after summer he seemed to change and wanted something else but he would never tell you that. Until eventually the not telling you the truth got to be to much and you broke up with him.

It wasn't all bad.

"Why Don't you stay With Eddie this time?" Nancy suggested. "Are you serious? You want me to babysit while you guys go get to do all the fun cool stuff?"

"I wouldn't call it fun.." Robin muttered.

It wasn't all bad.

You kept repeating this to yourself over and over hoping some part of you believed it hoping it would stick. That it really wasn't. That your life wasn't constantly shattering piece after piece since that night ladt summer.

"C'mon Shes Got a point Y/n." You turned to steve in disbelief. "Steve Seriously?" Everyone went quiet, you could just barrelly make out their distored figured shifting uncomfortably infront of you. An aray of color you learned to identify as your friends.

"It would be easier to find Vecna If I came along you all know that!"

"Y/n we can't risk a repeat of last time if you try to find him. Who know wbat will happen to you this time."

"I don't have much else to lose Harrington." You snapped. "It's too dangerous!" He shot back. You bit the inside of your cheek, you knew exactly what he meant when it said it was "too dangerous"

"No..yea you guys are right...I'm just a liability I'll just get in the way of things."

"Y/n thats not what I said." You walked past him and the rest of the group back down the hill to the boat house. "You Didn't have too!"

You slammed the door shut slumping to the floor, you could hear the cars enginee start up and slowly fade out into the distance then it was all quiet for a moment.

It wasn't all bad.

"Hey...shouldn't you be out there ya know...kicking Vecnas ass.. Clearing my name?" You looked up in the direction of Eddies voice and offered him a simple smile.

The colors that made up Eddie in your mind wheren't something you where Quite used to.

Robin was a beautiful light blue, Nancy was a brilliant pink, Dustin a fun yellow, Steves was one that used to comfort you, a darker blue almost like how you remembered the night sky.

Eddies Was bright, loud, and warm. Red and orange swirling around eachother.

"The rest of the gangs got it." You said, he hummed and you watched the swirl of color move across you and slump beside you.

You could hear him drum his hands against his legs and make a popping sound with his mouth. "Soo...can I ask what happened to your...ya know...?"

You giggled slightly at his attempt to ask his question. "Remember those monster we told you about? The ones before Vecna?"

"Yea." He nodded.

"Well...I would get this like crazy vison from the monster, like I could see what the monster saw or where it was and I saw the people it hurt...eventually it caught me..."

"Shit..."

"Its not all bad though." You reassured.

"How so? I mean if it was me i would be pretty bummed. No offense!"

"I can still see somethings."

"Like what?"

"Well I can see you, kinda...I can see an outline of you and colors almost like...almost like your aura or someshit."

"Really!? What color am I?" You had both menuvered to face crisscross facing eachother to better engage in the convorsation.

He leaned forward excitedly anticipating your response. "Your kinda like...a fire..bright red and orange."

"Wicked..."

"See. Not all bad." You nudged him with your elbow."

You stayed together for hours talking about everything. You told him about your life gory details and all and he told you about his not so heroic or exciting life. You wished you could truly see him now instead of trying to match a face from freshman year of highschool.

It was now hours past the time Steve and the others had left you and you and eddie lied on the floor still talking half asleep.

"I'd like to hear your music sometime, I bet it's...metal as hell." You laughed at your poor attempt to say something cool your eyes half lided shut but you where happy to hear him laugh along.

"I'll be sure to make you a tape when this is all over." You hummed happily. He looked over at you seeing you dozing off beside him. He sat up quickly and pulled his jacket off and drapped it over you before laying back down beside you.

"Where have you been my whole life..." He muttered under his breath.

"I've always been here." You muttered back not opening your eyes. "Maybe you're the blind one Munson." He cracked a smile.

He swallowed thickly before speaking "Ya know when this whole thing is over we should-"

You sat up quickly. "Shhh shut up!" You snapped. "Ok well..."

"Eddie quiet!" Eddie finally zipped his lips you both turned to the window hearing noise from the main house. "Someones here!"

Eddie scrambled to the window to check and found Jason and his friends rummaging around outside. "Shhhit! Shit!"

"What!? Who is it!?"

"Our covers been blown!" He yelled in a hushed voice. He grabbed the walkie and began calling for back up from the others.

Radio silence. "Shit." Eddie went quiet again.

"Eddie? Eddie?"

"I've got an idea." He yanked the tarp off the boat and grabbed your arms pulling you up and helping you into the boat.

Your head began pounding and images crossed your mind. You could hear eddie paddeling and someone yelling in the distance.

You doubled over in pain holding your head.

"Y/n? Y/n? Hey..talk to me..." You felt eddie shaking your shoulder. "Keep rowing Eddie!" You yelled gripping your skull. "Shit."

"Stop saying that!"

"Freak get back here!" Jason yelled now closer than before. Images of a dark room and someone in the center of it flashed across your mind,along with images of boys swimming in the wated behind you. Everything was happening fast and all at once.

You cried out in pain before your entier surroundings changed and you stood in the dark room.

You panted heavily taking in the room. Familiar particals floated around in the air and slimy vines littered the floor. "No..no.."Eddie!? Eddie!!?..fuck..fuck...EDDIE!?" you you stopped screaming when you saw the thing in the center of the room.

You slowly stepped twoard it. The closer you got the more you made out what it was.

A human like creature, disgusting raw flesh slick and wet vines and arm attached to it suspending it in mid air.

You gulped as you stood beneath it staring up at its shut eyes. "Vecna..." As if he hear you his eyes snapped open and stared into yours. You yelped and fell backwards. Instead of hitting the floor you fell through darkness landing in water.

You coughed on impact. The previous room fading away and leaving you in a familiar dark void water covering the floor. You pushed yourself up on your elbows and above you a boy floated.

You stared in awe. "Hey!" You pushed yourself up slipping and splashing around as you did. "Hey!" You tried to reach him but as you moved twoard him you slowly sunk into the black water. You despretly tried to call to him. "Hey!! Wake up!"

But it was to late you watched the boys limbs snap in directions no human should bend, his jaw snap open in a perminate state of horror then his eyes...when they burts you let out an ear peircing scream and shut yours. Suddenly the darkness consumed your vison again and the water enveloped you. You couldn't breath or see anything you began to panic screaming and thrashing around.

Suddenly something gripped your waist. You let out another startled scream and tried to wriggle free but it tightened its grip on you and moved you through the water until you felt the cold air hit your face.

You still fought until you where dragged to shore. "Hey! hey! y/n! calm down! Clam down its me!" You finally proceeded what had pulled you from the water. Eddie cupped your face trying to ground you. You could just barrely make out the firey color of eddie infront of you.

"Eddie..." You lunged forward and hugged him. "God don't do that shit again man! I thought vecna got you!" He said gripping you tightly in his arms.

"What happened back there?" He asked.

You thought a moment, still playing back what you saw in your head as you tried to catch your breath.

Yea.

It wasn't all bad.

#horror x reader #stranger things x reader #Eddie Munson x reader

[elisysd]

33. You're scared of love, well, aren't we all?

Masterlist - Previously - Next

Chapter soundtrack: Vertigo - Griff

It had been a while since she had taken a flight home alone. She had tried calling Ethan, she had tried texting, had even resorted to calling Ludwig but nothing had worked when it came to reach Ethan. So she dragged her suitcases to the airport on her own and flew back home.

She arrived at her mom’s house, earlier than what Lyanna expected and when she welcomed her, completely exhausted, she didn’t hesitate to take her daughter in her arms. Julia didn’t need to explain anything and she was grateful for it. Her mom always knew when something was wrong but never had been one to rush her to talk. She made her late lunch and tried to divert her attention by talking about the wedding.

“I thought you would choose the red dress. You’ll look beautiful in gold, but red is your color.” said her mom, serving her a glass of orange juice.

“I gave it a second thought and I’ll go with the red… I don’t know why I chose gold in the first place.” she mumbled, feeling her eyes water.

“I also called the vinery in Tuscany to know if we could go there to visit and have a better idea of everything. Are you still coming with me?”

“Sure. It will do me some good, being away from the tracks.”

“Julia, I didn’t want to ask but… you look pale, darling. You know that you can tell me everything.”

“I know… It’s nothing, don’t worry. Just a bigger wave in a sea that is usually calm.”

Lyanna frowned and bit her lip, knowing full well that her daughter wasn’t telling her even half of the truth but didn’t insist. Instead, she opened her inspiration board on her laptop to show Julia her ideas for activities they could do. From hiking to karting and even wine tasting, Julia understood quickly that their parents wanted to have fun and that it would be the main mood of the wedding. After browsing websites after websites and scribbled down phone numbers and addresses, it was close to the late afternoon. The weather was warm and it was the perfect time for a run. Julia went back to her room to put her gym clothes on and decided to take Bailey to run with her. She kissed her mother’s cheek, promising her that she would be back for dinner, right on time as her dad would be back soon.

Bailey was excited to spend time with Julia and started to wiggle her tail while turning around the young woman as she was tying her shoes. Finally, she was ready to go. Running down the streets, Bailey right beside her, she let her bad thoughts and bad feelings wash away. Ethan and his controlling behavior. Ethan and that no matter how much she wanted to try she didn’t know how to talk to him. She naively thought that after their first kiss and after the night they had spent together, when she felt a real connection with him like never before, everything would get better. That they would be happy and it would be easy. For the first time in her life, she was understanding what her mom and dad were meaning by ‘a relationship doesn't only require love, it needs work’. But was she in a relationship with Ethan? They never really took the time to talk about it. She assumed so. After all, they were kissing even when there were no cameras, they were intimate, they were not pretending anymore. But she still didn’t know if he felt more for her than desire or if he was ready to be in a relationship. She wanted it to work out but she knew that she couldn’t be the only one putting work in it. It would be too much energy and she was not ready to throw her everything if she was not one hundred percent sure he would do so, as well. There were too many unknown parameters, too many variables. And she didn’t want for her heart to be broken, she wouldn’t risk it. Maybe, just maybe after all, Ethan was right when he had told her that making it real would only make everything complicated. It was a mess. A beautiful one, sure, but a mess still. And it had only been a week since their first kiss.

Her burning legs brought her near Ethan’s flat and she wondered for a moment if she shouldn’t try to ring. Maybe he was already back. He hadn’t replied to her text asking him to tell her when he would be back even if she knew he had read it. She looked up to his window before shaking her head and going back from where she was.

When she finally made it home, sweating and out of breath with a Bailey that was still as excited as when they left, her dad’s Ferrari was in a driveway. When she opened the door, she could hear her family’s laughs in the kitchen and her dad showing Louis pictures he had taken from the plane. He quickly noticed his daughter but instead of his usual smile and soft look he always had when it came to her, it was a frown and a surprised face he had on him.

“Julia? I thought you would be back tomorrow. Ethan is still in London.”

She didn’t react straight away. She didn’t know how, she wasn’t aware of this change of plans.

“I wanted to take an early flight. I missed home.” she simply said and left the room before even more questions were raised.

Still, it didn’t prevent her from hearing her dad asking her mom if something had happened with Ethan and Julia tried her best to not let out a scream that would inevitably turn into a cry. When she came back, fresh out of the shower, the table outside was dressed and a salad was ready while her dad was grilling meats on the barbecue. As she was taking place next to Louis,  she noticed how quickly he was typing on his phone with a smile on his face.

“Who are you texting?”

“Ethan.” he shrugged as if it was obvious.

“Oh.. so he is alive.” she commented, more to herself than to Louis.

“Well, if he can answer me, it means that he is breathing. So, yeah he is alive. Why wouldn’t he be?”

“Nevermind.” she said, serving herself some salad and did the same for her brother as her dad was coming back with the grilled sausages and her mom with an apple pie.

“He is asking if you are okay. Should I tell him that you look sad or should I lie?”

“Tell him to ask me that himself.”

Louis didn’t sense the annoyance in her words and obeyed as her mom looked at her weirdly before shooting a glance to her husband.

“He says that he will talk to you when you have made up your mind.”

“Made up my mind about what? Not coming with him to the next races? He can go fuck himself, gosh. He knows why I’m not coming!”

“Julia, language.” her mom reprimanded her. “And Louis, don’t text Ethan. We are eating and Julia and him have obviously issues to solve, as adults, that you don’t and shouldn’t be involved with.”

There was a little silence during which Julia angrily cut her meat, mumbling profanities about Ethan.

“He said that if you are up for it, the fucking part can be organised quickly.”

Julia let her fork fall on the floor as her dad was coughing loudly after his wine went down the wrong way and her mom had a shocked face as she watched Louis who was totally unbothered by the chaos he created.

“What does he mean?”

“Nothing, Louis. Don’t worry about it.” Julia added quickly, avoiding her parents' gaze on her and trying to not think about how she was feeling herself shamingly blushing.

“So, the next upgrades for the Ferrari are still on for Buenos Aires?” she asked her dad, as if Louis’ comment never existed and her dad, happy to find a way out of the situation, ended up explaining in detail what her work would bring and their hopes to move forward next.

She woke up the next day with an unexpected text from Kyle telling her that Ethan had been insufferable lately and that they both needed to sort things out. They needed to talk and their plane would land in the late morning, meaning Ethan would be home around noon. Kyle was right, of course. But she wasn’t sure it had to be her that should make the first step. It had always been her lately and a part of her was hoping he would show her that he was as much in this as her. But she also knew how stubborn they both were and if she was waiting for him, it most probably would never happen.

Her dad was in the living room, on a call with some important people in Maranello that was updating him on the results the datas showed with the simulator work from both Martin and Elijah. They tested the new upgrades and it was promising. It made Julia smile and the knot in her stomach a little less tight. When her dad dropped off the call, he seemed relaxed.

“Good news from what I gathered.”

“Reassuring ones, yeah. All thanks to you.”

“Wait before saying that, you know that sometimes the data on the sim and the data on the tracks are different. Wouldn’t be the first time.”

“I trust you. I know how hard you worked on them and with the precision the team brought on your ideas, I’m sure we have nothing to worry about.”

“Would it be enough to secure you the P2 in the constructor's standings before the summer break?” she asked, worried and unable to shake out of her mind the threats Carlos had made on his dad.

“One thing at the time, okay?” He was trying to reassure her but she could see that he was worrying as much as her.

“If you need anything just let me know…”

“If you have time today, maybe we could go over the data the factory will send me?”

“I was about to leave to go to see Ethan but when I’ll be back, sure, we can do that.”

She saw the back of her dad stiffen as soon as she mentioned him.

“I don’t want to overstep, Ju… But I just want to make sure he treats you right and that he makes you happy.”

“It’s just a rough patch, dad.”

“Is it, really? Because it looks like you had more rough patches than good ones. Tell me, is it worth it?”

She looked down at her feet, trying to come out with a good answer but she couldn’t seem to find one. Her dad was right and she didn’t want to lie to him. Not anymore.

“I thought it would be but… I’m not sure. We don’t know how to communicate and it seems that every time I try to reach for him he pulls away. One day he is the nicest guy and he makes me happy and then the next, if I do something that displeases him, he shuts me off. He says he doesn’t want me to be perfect but I still feel like I have to be. I don’t know what to do. Am I the problem? Is it me?”

“No, Ju. Any guy would be lucky to be with you. You’re smart, driven, you care about your friends and your family, you are ambitious and hard-working. You are not afraid to speak up your mind, you have the compassion of your mom and when you love, you love fiercely just like her. So, no, you are not a problem and there is nothing wrong with you.”

“You made me sound perfect…”

“You are not. You are stubborn, you never want to admit when you are wrong and you have the tendency to flee when you are scared of your feelings. You definitely got that from your mom. But it doesn’t make you less lovable. Ethan is lucky and he should start to realize it soon. And if he doesn’t, then someone else will.”

She nodded as she felt tears prickling behind her eyelids. Her dad took her in his arms, kissing her temple before letting her go.

She didn’t know if it was a good idea. Standing there, in front of his door, she was hesitating. What if he wasn’t there? What if he didn’t want to talk to her? She briefly contemplated the idea of going back home before reproving herself. Taking a deep breath she knocked on the door that opened a few seconds later to reveal Ethan. He was dressed casually, in a white t-shirt and gray sweatpants. He looked at her up and down before leaning against the door frame, a smirk playing on his lips.

“Is that the text I sent to Louis that made you run to me this fast? I thought you would need a few more days. “

“I’m not here for that. And about that text, don’t put Louis in the middle of our arguments. That’s not fair.”

“That made you come to me, I’d say it is fair.” he insisted.

“I’m not here to argue…” she sighed.

“What are you here for, then?”

“To talk.”

He straightened up to let her in before grabbing her waist by behind to pull her against his chest as his lips found their rightful place on her neck.

“Ethan… I said I wanted to talk.”

“Too bad, because I’m not in the mood for that.” he whispered against her ear.

She knew it was a bad idea, that it would only make things worse but sue her for being weak when it came to Ethan Verstappen.

Lying naked in his white bed sheets, she couldn’t help the nagging feeling of shame from crippling in the back of her mind. Even more when she saw Ethan getting out of the bed without giving her a glance making her feel used.

“Ethan…”

“I have somewhere to go, Julia. I don’t have time.” he shrugged.

It was enough for her to let the angry feelings she had kept bottled inside to explode.

“So you have time to fuck me, but not to talk? Are you kidding me?”

“I didn’t see you put much resistance to it.”

She threw the sheet around her shoulders, following him in the living room as he picked up his keys.

“What am I to you? A booty call? Someone you can use and discard when it’s convenient to you?”

“You are making the choice to leave me. You are the one abandoning me.”

“For four weeks! For my family! It’s not as if I was going away on a solo trip in the Caribbean!”

“Still. You make your decisions alone. Without talking to me. And now you want to talk? Spoiler Julia, I’m not available to talk when it’s convenient to you. So be nice, put your clothes back on so I can go meet my friends.”

Julia looked at him in disbelief. She wasn’t recognizing him. Where was the charming, funny and caring Ethan she grew to love? Instead, it was as if he had gone back to the insufferable and arrogant man that she couldn’t stand. She batted her eyes to prevent the tears from forming. She put her clothes back on, took her bag and with one last disappointed look, left him.

He knew he was acting like a dick and even more than that but for a reason he couldn’t explain, he couldn’t help it. It was as if every word that was coming out of his mouth had one goal, hurting her the way he was hurting. He knew he shouldn’t, he had no right to get mad at her for wanting to spend time with her family but he would have loved for her to come to him first, so they could talk about it and not be thrown under the bus like he had been. Sometimes, he felt like despite his efforts, he still had no place in her life. And it was coming at the worst time. The press was not the kindest with him lately, doubting his abilities, saying he would never be as good as his dad, that he had no place in the sport. If it had always been more or less bearable in the past because of the fans and the support he was receiving, now even them were saying that Julia had made him weaker. That he was more interested in what was outside the sport, that his passion wasn’t there. And that was hurting him more than he liked to admit. He could handle the nasty comments about his performance, but not that people and even names well respected in the field were doubting his commitment, that was the last straw.

And when Julia told him that she wouldn’t be there, next to him for the next races, he thought that he had just lost another one of his landmarks. If even Julia was letting him down, what did he have, still? Kyle had Romy now, Ludwig was Ludwig, he had never been one to care if he had people around him or not. Who would want to stay with him?

So when Leroy, an old friend from school, asked him if he wanted to meet up with their old acquaintances to reminisce about the past, he thought it would be a good opportunity to forget about how his life was not that great at the moment, and about how he didn’t help making it better.  When he entered the bar, he was quickly welcomed by them, asking him how he was and when he would finally be a World Champion. He felt nice, at ease with them. They joked about where they were in their lives, the girls they had dated, joked about it and Ethan definitely felt like he belonged with them. The drinks were flowing and the atmosphere was relaxed until Leroy pronounced Julia’s name and it shifted.

“So the rumors were true, I guess. You are dating Little Miss Perfect.”

“Julia? Yes. It was unexpected but it’s true.”

“I’m just wondering how you managed to do it? Like, I’ve been with her and gosh she was so stuck up by then.”Leroy joked, making his friends laugh as well.

“You’ve dated her?” asked Ethan. He didn’t remember and Julia had never mentioned anything about ex boyfriends.

“It was more out of a bet than anything. She had never been really interesting or worthy to be dated. I mean, she was cute but who seriously wants to be with someone like her? Do you remember when we used to laugh about her Ferrari stupid dreams? Or the way she was always the first one raising her hands when teachers were asking questions? She was such a teacher's pet.”

Ethan clenched his fist, he didn’t like the look on Leroy’s face when he was talking about Julia.

“Well, she made it. She works in F1 now. So, after all, she was right to hold onto her dreams.”

“Maybe but, tell me… we are between men, now. How is she? Is she still stuck up or did you manage to turn her into a whore? She had always had a nice body. How does it feel?”

“Don’t talk about her like that, it’s disrespectful.”

“Oh no, I see, she turned you into her little whore, that’s why you don’t answer? Is she wearing pants in your relationship?”

“Fuck off, Leroy. I’m serious.”

“Come on Ethan, don’t take it that way. We all know it here, she is a bitch. Remember how she lied to her parents and they managed to fire me from school. She made my life like hell. She is a bitch, always has been, you can’t defend her. And you know what we do to bitches like her? We train them to make them obedient and docile.” he added with a snarky smile.

He didn’t expect Ethan to react this fast, standing up, making his chair fall on the floor and in a swift move he was grabbing Leroy by the collar, approaching his face with a threatening glare.

“Listen to me, little fucker. You are going to keep Julia’s name out of you mouth or I swear I’m going to make you learn every single definition of the word respect in every single language that exists, and I'm not scared to use force if I have to. If I hear you saying another thing about Julia, I’m going to make sure you will never be able to make a sound. Are we clear?”

“Ethan…bro…come on, I was joking.”

“These are not jokes and it’s because little boys like you with a fragile ego that women are scared to be around men. So I won’t repeat myself. Fuck off.”

He could see Leroy getting paler by seconds and when finally he nodded quickly, eyes filled with fear in front of Ethan cold anger, the blond released his grip. He gave his so-called friends one last disgusted look before heading out, thinking that he definitely needed to clean his friends list. As he was about to step outside, he heard Leroy mumbling.

“Told you that bitch was holding him with a leash, he is not fun anymore.”

Ethan turned around faster than expected and Leroy didn’t have the time to register what was happening to him that his face was violently thrown against the table,earning the gasps of the people around them. He heard him whining of pain as he breathed in his ear.

“Don’t play with me Leroy or I swear I’m going to destroy you. And I’ll take my sweet time so you won’t forget your lesson.”

“Fucking asshole, my nose. That hurts.”

“Be happy it’s your nose and not your legs.”

And just like that he headed out with a proud smile on his face.

Author's note: I love to write fuckboy Ethan, it is so fun. Maye not for you to read, but to write I can assure you that I absolutely love it! What do you think will happen next? Let me know your theories, I love to read them.

Don't hesitate to leave a comment or an ask, as well as reblogging and leaving a like. Besides the fact that I absolutely love to read you, it helps a lot for the story to find its audience. I also have a taglist for this story, so if you want to be added so you never miss a chapter, let me know.

Taglist:

@herondalism @aundercover @musingsbyshreya @karmabyfernando @reengard @mycenterfold @smoooothoperator

#writing #fiction #charles leclerc #f1 fanfic #f1 fic #f1 x oc #charles leclerc fanfic #max verstappen fanfic #max vertsappen

[adobe-outdesign]

Thoughts on Brute Bonnet and Iron Hands?

On a scale of "bland, boring Violet paradox" (Virizion, Hydreigon, etc.) to "actually creative Violet paradox" (Iron Valiant, Miraidon, etc.), I'd say Iron Hands is right in the middle. It's different enough from Hariyama to have some flair to it, but ultimately is still somewhat underwhelming.

Visually, I like the detached hands a lot. It makes sense for Hariyama's design and adds a cool bit of functionality that, unlike some other future paradoxes, is actually visible in the design itself and not just the animations. Adding the LED "pads" on the underside helps draw attention to them with the bright color, and the connecting spots are a nice touch.

In addition, it has a few other changes from Hariyama. The colors have been reduced down from orange, yellow, cream, and blue to just grey, yellow, and blue, which simplifies the palette a bit. The marking on the stomach goes down onto the legs, and the blue on the head is now a solid diamond shape instead a V shape like the original. The ears are also now a tube shape.

None of these changes are bad, but I do think many of them are arbitrary: the grey extending onto the legs is too low-contrast and makes the middle bar mostly pointless, and the blue on the head causes it to lose Hariyama's chonmage (sumo) hairstyle. I'd rather have arbitrary changes than it being too similar, granted, but I do wonder if there was more room to explore here beyond just the hands.

For example, sumo is an ancient form of wrestling—things like Hariyama's belt reference the sumo tradition of wearing traditional Japanese clothing, for example. Rather than just making elements like the belt robotic, I feel like the traditional sumo elements could have been lost (similar to how the topknot is now gone) to reflect more modern forms of wrestling. As is, the hands and design changes make it different enough; it just could've been pushed a little more.

Brute Bonnet is described as a "dinosaur crossed with a mushroom", though honestly, I barely see any dinosaur elements in it save for the four legs and tail. Regardless, it does have one main thematic element; the addition of prehistoric plant matter around its cap to reflect its grass typing. This doesn't have a lot to do with Amoonguss' original Pokeball theme, but it does at least give it something that immediately differentiates it from the original.

It also has a few other changes; the cap on the head is flatter and has spikes, the "beak" is now jagged, and it has colored rings under its eyes. All of this serves to further distance it from Amoonguss, and works to give it a more feral look.

Visually, I don't have any real issues with it; only that I feel like two legs might've made more sense than four, given that the extra pair doesn't add much to the design.

However, similar to Iron Hands, I do wonder if the concept could've been pushed more. Foongus' Scarlet 'dex entry implies pokeballs were based on it instead of the other way around, but I still wonder if the mimicry idea could've been pushed more. Patterns and colors that are appealing to other Pokemon could take hundreds of thousands of years to evolve; maybe you could see the start of the pattern on Brute Bonnet, but it's not as perfect as it is in the modern day. Or perhaps it resembles an older kind of Pokeball, like how the Hisuian Voltorb line works. Not a big deal as the design we got is still perfectly good; just something to think about.

Overall, both of these Pokemon are decent, though I wouldn't call either of them top of their class. Iron Hands is different enough from Hariyama, but could've been pushed even further; Brute Bonnet is serviceable but could've explored its theme more. Between the two, Brute Bonnet is better, but both are perfectly fine.

#iron hands #brute bonnet #pokemon #pokemon scarlet and violet #pokemon reviews

[loathemetc]

DELTARUNE THEORY: The Old Chair

Well folks this one is a doozy and we have a wealth of new ARG(??? YEAH!) content from this SPAMTON SWEEPSTAKES LIVE EVENT [(LIVE!)] and obviously I should be talking about all the Noelle lore so let’s talk about this fucking chair instead:

Yes, a chair. There are many hidden links on the Deltarune website right now, and https://deltarune.com/chair/ sends you to well. A chair. A small, blue chair with a sheet draped over it. Clicking on it makes a sound play as it disappears, leaving garbled bits of color and nothing else behind. Also you can randomly get jumpscared by a familiar pair of yellow and pink eyes, so there’s that. 

Does that sound like a lot to unpack already? Well too bad buckaroo there’s more stuffed into this suitcase than you can shake a stick at! The name of the tab when you open this page is “But what if it could...”, click the chair and it changes to “... get darker than dark?”.

Sound familiar?

Besides the obvious reference to the classic line about being dark, darker, yet darker, to me it brings to mind Seam’s warning. Maybe it’s not such a good idea to be in the dark world at night... That’s at least two darknesses, which is more than one.

But wait, why a chair? Well, we know the third chapter’s dark world takes place in Kris’s house, obviously, which coincidentally just so happens to feature a named chair character! How convenient!

Thank goodness this mystery is solved except oh wait that doesn’t really make any sense, does it? This chair we’re talking about seems awful ominous, unlike beloved old Chairiel, adored by the family, front and center of the Dreemurr household. No, I think we’re looking for a different chair.

But that doesn’t mean we’re not looking for Chairiel.

Yes, something fans noted as soon as Deltarune chapter 1 released was that the Chairiel moniker seemed to have been transferred from one chair to another. While Chairiel in Deltarune is Toriel’s living room seat, Chairiel in Undertale was originally a small... Blue... Chair. Huh.

Could it be the the original Chairiel is in storage in the Dreemurr household somewhere still, in this new world? Abandoned and replaced? Well geez, all this ominous atmosphere, talk of being tossed aside, garbled messes and direct connection to those pink and yellow eyes sure is reminding me of our pals Jevil and Spamton huh?

So what the hell am I saying, that Chairiel, the ORIGINAL Chairiel from Undertale, is going to be Chapter 3′s hidden boss, feeling betrayed and broken after Toriel got a more comfortable chair to watch TV in!? Uh. I guess? I mean, I said I was spitballing here. 

But why those Pink and Yellow eyes... That’s Spamton’s bit, and only cause he was copying Swatch, right? Well, he was attempting to impersonate the head butler, but maybe there’s a reason he got the colors of Swatch’s orange and yellow glasses wrong. After all, we have another unexplained buddy with the very same colored eyes, don’t we?

Yeah, still no clue what that thing was about. But I’m getting the feeling we’re going to. Although, considering that pink and yellow jumpscare on the chair page redirects you back to the main sweepstakes page, it may just be Spamton trying to keep your nose out of business it doesn’t belong in. But that’s my final thought for now.

The site is still updating with new material, so if a wrench gets thrown in any of this, don’t blame me for jumping the gun. I’ll try to keep an open mind.

ADDENDUM 1 - It should be noted that the noise that plays when the chair is clicked on is called “water.mp3″ and sounds VERY similar to areas of Waterfall in Undertale such as the trash zone. How am I supposed to tie that to any of this?? Hahaha I have no idea.

ADDENDUM 2 - Could the sheet on the chair be the Shadow Mantle? Could the water noise have something to do with the Old Song from the Sea, mentioned by Riverperson in Undertale and Onion-San in Deltarune? So many questions...

#deltarune #deltarune theory #spamton #chair #chairiel #seam

[sacrificethemtothesquid]

Family has descended upon us, so my usual routine is shot to hell, but at the very least I have a 7am tea watching the sunrise. This morning is blissfully clear and cold, and high in the sky is an airplane contrail the color of a mandarin orange, dripping down the blue in a thick, bright stripe. 

MIL is dying today. She might even be already gone - she was still hanging on when everyone came home from the memory care place, but maybe she decided it was time to go when things finally went quiet. Maybe we haven’t gotten a call yet. Maybe FIL got the call and decided not to call us. Maybe she’s still there: Schroedinger’s mother-in-law.

There are six people in this house that usually only holds two, but for all the people, it’s weirdly quiet. Even when there’s talking, no one is talking. There are no funeral plans, no discussion of cremation or burial, none of the busy-ness that I want to be happening. When Dad died, it was unexpected. We thought we could save him right up until the last few hours. Husbandthing’s mom has dementia. She’s been declining for years. We knew this would happen, but the conversations that I want to happen, the conversations I think need to happen, aren’t.

I keep thinking of deathwatch beetles. It’s too quiet here but it feels too heavy to make noise. We’re here looking through old photos instead of by MIL’s side, which is a choice that wasn’t mine to make. She isn’t my mother and it isn’t my place to step in. 

I cried on the phone to my mom last night: everything reminds me of Dad. I don’t want this to be about my own grief. I don’t want to make this about me. I just want to be a good support to my husband and the family I married into, but everything reminds me of Dad and it’s so fucking hard. She cried back: I’m making you a pot roast. I’m making you cookies. I’m here. I understand. I love you.

His family is different from mine. There are schisms and breaks, jagged lines in a complicated family tree. When Dad was dying, the nurses ignored quarantine rules to sneak my sister and me into his room so we could sit with him and Mom. We made a ring around him, holding each other’s hands and counting his heartbeats. My mother-in-law’s place has no restrictions, but when FIL saw my sister-in-law sitting by the bed, he turned around and left. Maybe he came back later. He should be there with her, my mom said. He knew her longest.

Should is a word my family uses a lot, but right now, I’m the daughter-in-law. It’s not my place to make decisions, nor to pass judgment. I’m biting my tongue bloody and blathering here instead. I’m sitting in a silent house thinking about beetles, making tea over and over and over again. Husbandthing brought sandwiches to the hospital when Dad died. I made soup yesterday. We picked my niece and nephew up from the airport, the same terminal where we picked up my sister last year. She’s going to need her big sister, Husbandthing said then. It was a reminder I needed, and I keep repeating to myself now, he needs his wife. They need a sister-in-law. He needs his daughter-in-law.

We’re going to take a break and see my mom today. It’s a long drive into the woods, and my sister-in-law has never met my mother. It feels awful to be taking Husbandthing’s family away from his own mom, but they want the break. They want sandwiches. They want to make a connection that circumstances over twelve years haven’t let them form. I’m going to cry, Mom said. If you cry, I’ll cry, I said. Let’s be strong together. 

#death tw #random blather

[mischief-lies-and-stories]

I'm Obsessed with the Immortal Thor 7 cover art

This cover is so detailed and just gorgeous. The covers for this series have really all been full of details, but I want to talk about this one because of all of its connections to the myths (and also previous issues).

Spoilers for The Immortal Thor.

Let's start where I always like to start, with Loki. He is buried under food, which (obviously, after reading) references his first trial of trying to eat faster than fire, called Logi both in the comic and the myth. I just love how so many characters in this myth are named versions of Loki's name (Logi, Utgard-Loki; Lukki was originally Hugi in the myth, as Loki says later), and I had hoped we would get an explanation in the mythology of why that is, but we never really do. (If anyone has seen an explanation, please let me know; I'm intrigued to hear about both contemporary analytical explanations or if an older source has an answer.)

Thor wrestling this weird, green cat. I love all of this. His tail is actually the head of a snake, complete with cute little hissy tongue. His back and tail have orange and black tiger-like stripes, but the pattern changes on his hind leg to a scaly look. The more you look at his cat face, the more you see Jormungandr's true face beneath! I love this. I love Jormungandr.

Okay, this isn't specific to the cover, but I just noticed Utgard-Loki's bone horns are shaped the same as Loki's helm. Also he's not on fire on the cover. Maybe that's to keep with the cool color scheme, but I think he looks way more metal when he's aflame.

Which brings us to these dice Utgard-Loki is rolling. They are certainly dice, but clearly only one side is marked. Why did Alex Ross (the cover artist) decide to only illustrate one side of each die? Artistically, I think probably to draw attention to these sides of the dice; if all visible sides were marked, there would be too many details with no obvious side to draw the eye. Thematically, Utgard-Loki has rigged all of these trials; the dice are meant to fall only on these sides. And each marked side has a different set of 3 runes, one of which we've seen already in this series: Raidho, which corresponds to the letter R. Interestingly, also on this same die is Thurisaz, which corresponds to Th (thank you, very difficult poetic theme choice for issue 3). So what I'm hearing you say is, hey, so is that middle rune Othala (because of course, you read that post)? Nope! However, it does represent a different sound for O (I think the long o ('oh'), because the name for the letter is Óss or "god" aka Odin, at least according to Wikipedia), so perhaps it still spells 'Thor.' Which would be BRILLIANT, because guess what the other die spells?! Lögr--kaun--íss, or LKI, LOKI. And thank god (heh) for that, because I was ready to go full analysis on the symbolism for what these runes represent, but we can safely go with Occam's Razor on this one. (Of course, I did do this with the issue 3 poem, so it's certainly something you can do, I just doubt that was the intended vision when Ross created the puzzle.) (And I am a little pissed I used Othala instead of óss/ansuz, because I could've done some great things with the symbolism. All well.)

#loki #loki comics #marvel comics #the immortal thor spoilers #the immortal thor #the immortal thor 7 #the immortal thor cover art #al ewing comics

[weaver-z]

I think a lot of the hostility in the discourse surrounding The Q-Slur™ is bc of the conflation between social spaces and political movements

for instance, I initially had a bad reaction to your take on the issue (although I took some time to think about it bc I'm not an animal tyvm) bc I value The Q-Slur™ as effective political rhetoric--a rejection of respectability politics, inclusive to everyone in a way that an unwieldy acronym can't be, simple and concise, etc.

however, I would never call someone The Q-Slur™ if they didn't want to be called that, bc that's rude? like really fucking rude? I'm even avoiding saying it here bc I don't want to stir shit for no good reason

there's a very big difference between how a movement should behave and how a social group should behave. a social group is made up of individuals with individual histories and feelings, but an effective movement can't be made up of individuals; it can only be statistics and icons, because it has to cover as many people as possible

imo, both things are true: it's not okay to demand people use it for themselves, and it's not okay to demand activists stop using it. the pain that The Q-Slur™ brings that makes it so inappropriate for so many social spaces is the exact reason why it's such a good political tool: it's confrontational and unyielding. it makes it clear (1) what we are, (2) what we want, and (3) what we will not concede ("our otherness is based actually" in a single-syllable word!) without making anything softer or cleaner

here's an example of how I personally approach stuff like this: I don't like the lesbian flag all that much (specifically the more-orange one made to replace the lipstick lesbian flag). I think it could be a lot more rooted in lesbian history/symbols instead of just being a pretty collection of colors that looks nice next to the other flags. but, no matter my personal feelings, I would never try to get people to replace it, bc dear lord we need some flag to unite under

(that obviously isn't the same exact situation, I just like allegories)

the Pride+ thing actually felt like a really good compromise to me. as it's a blog on an already p pro-LGBT website, it's a mix of both interpersonal connection and online activism, and wanting it to be as comfy for as many people as possible is entirely valid! go staff go!!

ig my main point in a nutshell is that it's v important to have manners in the vast majority of situations, with one of the main exceptions being when you're fighting for human rights. yeah I think that's it

anyway, I need to log off for a while. go lay down in a field and feel the rain soaking through my clothing. cleanse myself of the internet brainworms. remember that I'm human. hope you have a good one!

Thanks! This is probably the last ask I'll answer about this issue, because for a bunch of people claiming to be super trans-positive and inclusive, some of the people in my inbox really want me to play in traffic.

I also think that the political origins of the reclamation of "queer" are a good point to bring up. "We're here, we're queer" was deliberately chosen because it was a startling, incendiary declaration in the 70s and 80s. And it still is! It's a great rallying cry and wake-up call.

That being said, in a more personal space, yeah, I avoid being called queer for... well, basically every reason I've outlined in these ask answers. Having "THE QUEEREST PLACE ON THE NET" plastered on my blog was, while not triggering, rather uncomfortable for me last pride due to my associations with the word. There is nothing wrong with renaming the blog to "Pride" and using "LGBTQ+" instead of "queer" to describe the userbase, as it includes both queer (Q) people and people who might not identify with that word (LGBT*).

Thanks for taking the time to consider my position! Have a good day.

#ask #cotyledonal #q slur #q word